Flowers (2010)

The 2009 movie Flowers follows three generations of girls as they embark on their exciting and uncertain new life starting a family. Jumping back and forth through time, the film tells the tale of Rin (played by Aoi Yu), her daughters Kaoru, Midori and Sato (played by Takeuchi Yuko, Tanaka Rena, and Nakama Yukie), her grand-daughters Kana and Kei(played by Suzuki Kyoka and Hirosue Ryoko), and her grandchildren!

I picked up on this movie simply for the stunning array of stellar actresses they’d gotten (Aoi Yu, Takeuchi Yuko, Tanaka Rena, Nakama Yukie,Suzuki Kyoka and Hirosue Ryoko, MAN,have you ever seen so much TALENT in one movie?) and the movie’s touching and heartfelt story certainly put them to good use, but the overall thing that stunned me the most was the film’s unbelievable cinematography and special effects!

Having a movie set in the years 1936, 1964, 1969, 1977 and 2004 would be a daunting task for anyone, and I wouldn’t have blamed them if they just winged it and made do with the sets they had on hand, but MY GOSH, those period pieces (and, in particular, the 60’s scenes) seemed like they were actually shot at that time!

Every time they opened another scene, just one look at the girl and her surrounds and I’d instantly KNOW what decade they were in, and DAMN if the Yukie Nakama scenes didn’t just remind me of those Tomokazu Muira/Yamaguchi Momoe flicks of the 70’s! And to bring out the flourish of those period pieces , the scenes alternate between modern 2004 shots which REALLY makes them stand out in comparison!

Of course, all this talent and special effects wouldn’t have meant much without a solid story to go on, and FLOWERS wonderful message is the cherishing of life, family, and the miracle of motherhood. (and never has a movie utilized Olivia Newton John’s (!) “Have You Never Been Mellow” better than this movie’s conclusion…so touching!

And for those of us who were just so blown away by the period piece effects, they went one further for us, as the ending credits ran and they showed these old, yellowed family photos of the generations of families, and I was like HOLY CRAP, THESE PICTURES LOOK SO DAMN AUTHENTIC! Especially the Aoi Yu shots- DANG, those could have been in MY Grandmother’s photo album! Just Fantastic!

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